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Current Herpetology
Abstract
Abstract:
The green bamboo pit viper, Trimeresurus stejnegeri, is a sit-and-wait predator that forages mainly on frogs in Taiwan. We predicted that T. stejnegeri is able to identify prey at the species level to locate appropriate ambushing sites. We conducted a chemical preference test among frog species and compared its result with the natural diet of T. stejnegeri. The test suggested that T. stejnegeri can discriminate prey species even within the same family. The three highest tongue flick ambush scores (TFAM) were obtained in Odorrana swinhoana, Polypedates braueri, and Zhangixalus moltrechti, which corresponded to the dominant prey items found in stomach contents. Some frog species, however, did not show coincidence between TFAM and the snake's natural diet. Abundance, active period, and defensive mechanisms of frogs are potential factors affecting the realized diet of T. stejnegeri in the field. We also propose that ambushing behavior exhibited during the chemical preference test should be considered an important indicator of interest in potential prey for sit-and-wait species of snakes.
We thank Yi-Jen Chen, Wei Gon, Xin Tang, Yun-Yi Lin, Min Xuan Lin, and Cheng-Fang Wu for assistance during the experiment. We also thank the Amphibian Conservation Laboratory, National Dong Hwa University for providing space and funding to conduct the experiment. The experiment was conducted under a permit from the Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan project number SDD2018040215590074 273. The experiment was conducted in accordance with National Dong Hwa University Affidavit of Approval of Animal Use Protocol 107007 and field research permits by the Hualien County government (code: 1070134686) and Ilan County government (code: 1070124172).
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